Corporate Social Responsibility In The Chemical Industry

This book addresses the topic of the business case for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and its importance for business success, on one hand, and for the further diffusion of CSR practices, on the other. It discusses the business case for CSR in the chemical industry because this sector is relevant for economic development, and for its constant innovativeness. Moreover, the chemical industry has a long experience in CSR and sustainability strategies, and it offers many best practices to discuss. The book highlights how CSR practices can be correctly implemented in order to obtain positive financial corporate performance as well as to improve relationship with stakeholders. Factors influencing the effectiveness and efficiency of CSR will be described too, with particular focus on the effects of the different organizational behaviors. Why many CSR strategies fail to support business development, and the development of a positive relationship between business and society, is examined by arguing that contextual factors, corporate organization, and the different dimensions and aspects of CSR directly affect CSR performance. For instance, this book reveals that proper environmental initiatives implemented by chemical companies effectively improve economic results by allowing an efficient allocation of resources and assets. This book may have a broad target audience including students of business schools, but also professors, researchers, and business practitioners. Indeed, the book aims to support and guide entrepreneurs, managers and business advisors to design, plan, and implement successful CSR strategies. The latter may effectively improve corporate performance, financial and non financial, such as the image and reputation, which are reflected in positive economic results in the long term. In particular, the book highlights that developing CSR initiatives addressing specific stakeholder concerns improves corporate trust, and then, the long-term financial performance.

It’s the new rock and roll. It’s the new black. Sustainability is trendy, and not just among hipsters and pop stars. The uncool chemical sector helped pioneer it, and today, companies inside and outside the sector have embraced it. But what have they embraced? Surely not the Brundtland definition of meeting “the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Sustainability describes a change in the chemical industry’s approach to the external world: to regulators, to greens, to neighbors, to investors and to the general public. Displacing the adversarialism of the 1970s-80s, sustainability is a new approach to social/political conflict, and an attempt to rebuild the industry’s long-suffering public image. In practice, it consists of: A ‘stakeholder’ approach to communications and external relations A rebranding of regulatory compliance and risk management, with the emphasis on their benefits to stakeholders Recognition (and even celebration) of the opportunities, not just the costs, of environmental and social protection The core of this book is a survey of the world’s 29 largest chemical companies: how they put sustainability into action (six of the 29 do not), and the six ‘sustainability brands’ they have created. It begins with a history of stakeholders conflict, before looking at various definitions of sustainability – by academics, by the public and by investors. After the survey and analysis, the book covers sustainability and ‘greenwash’ plus the ROI of sustainability, and it gives five recommendations.

This introductory textbook explores the key issues in global business in corporate social responsibility.

"A highly informative and brilliant contribution to the growingsustainability literature." -Dr. Brian and Mary Nattrass Managing Partners of SustainabilityPartners and authors of The Natural Step for Business and Dancingwith the Tiger The goal of sustainable development, a recent focus in thecorporate world, is to "ensure a better quality of life foreveryone today and in generations to come." The challenge facingindustry leaders is how to reconcile economically competitivestrategies with environmentally sound and socially responsiblepractices. Transforming Sustainability Strategy into Action: The ChemicalIndustry presents proven practical techniques to help managers inthe chemical industry identify and assess options for improving thesustainability of their organizations, with a pragmatic emphasis onoperational aspects, decision support, and guidelines for measuringprogress. Employing a systematic approach and introducing globallyproven problem-solving and decision-making tools designed toprovoke questioning and creative thinking, the authors address someof the most challenging issues for the industrial worldtoday. The authors' combined expertise and extensive experience intranslating sustainability strategies from theory into action makethem uniquely qualified to deliver the kind of hands-on, responsivebusiness solutions that will give corporate leaders the competitiveedge in preparing for tomorrow's socially and environmentallyconscious marketplace.

Biological threats like SARS and natural disasters like the tsunami in Indonesia have devastated entire regions, and quickly exhausted budgetary resources. As the field of environmental health continues to evolve, scientists and others must focus on gaining a better understanding of the links between human health and various environmental factors, and on creating new paradigms and partnerships needed to address these complex environmental health challenges facing society. Global Environmental Health in the 21st Century: From Governmental Regulations to Corporate Social Responsibility: Workshop Summary discusses the role of industry in environmental health, examines programs designed to improve the overall state of environmental health, and explores how governmental and corporate entities can collaborate to manage this industry. Stakeholders in both the public and private sectors are looking for viable solutions as the complexity of societal problems and risks associated with management and varying regulatory standards continue to increase. Global Environmental Health in the 21st Century draws critical links and provides insight into the current shape of global environmental health. The book recommends expanding environmental management systems (EMS) to encompass a more extensive global network. It also provides a complete assessment of the benefits and costs resulting from implementation of various environmental management systems.

Project Report from the year 2011 in the subject Business economics - Marketing, Corporate Communication, CRM, Market Research, Social Media, grade: 1,0, Copenhagen Business School, course: Corporate Social Responsibility, language: English, abstract: The most recent publication by Porter and Kramer (2011) reaffirms this theory and expands it from merely environmental concerns to overall societal concerns, in addressing economic growth in the framework of the creation of shared value. Beyond the emphasis on the elimination of inefficiencies in production processes as described in Green and Competitive, Porter and Kramer assess that shared value is created by reconceiving products and markets, redefining productivity in the value chain, and building supportive industry clusters at the company's locations. In the following section we will scrutinize the efforts undertaken by the chemical giant BASF with regard to its Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, relevant policies and initiatives implemented.

Exporting Environmentalism is the first book to examine industry's transnational promotion of environmental ideas and practices.

The acid test of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is simply this: does it lead to positive impacts on society and the environment or is it just rhetoric? And if it does lead to positive impacts, how can these be enhanced? This timely book tackles this cutting-edge challenge by presenting empirical findings from a range of surveys and in-depth case studies. These build on a new methodological and theoretical framework for assessing and explaining the sustainability impact of CSR. For selected sustainability issues mitigation of climate change and chemical risk, resource management in marine fisheries, promotion of gender equality and countering of bribery and within different European industries, the authors show that the rhetoric of CSR is still stronger than its reality. They do so by investigating into CSR practices which encompass the creation of a vision on CSR, its strategic and operative implementation and its organisational and cultural embedding within companies and their supply chains. The authors conclude that the reality of CSR is strong enough to allow for some rhetoric. They name intra- and extra-company success factors for, and limits of, producing sustainability impacts through CSR. Finally, they discuss its contribution to achieving public policy goals and the governance paradigms that are necessary to make CSR effective. The volume successfully combines a business and public policy perspective, based on an interdisciplinary approach. This book will be invaluable for both students and researchers interested in the effects of CSR, and will prove a useful tool for policy-makers and CSR practitioners alike.